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Archendel Hamsor
Archendel Mitchenel Hamsor, the first and arguably greatest of the Archendels of Hamsor College, was a powerful influence in the years just after the Great Switching-On and the founder of the aforementioned institute. Early Life Hamsor was born -27 PRE to a humble manufacturer of nanotubes, Elysia Neillis, and her husband, Chold Hamsor. Though little is known of the early part of xir life, it has been suggested that Hamsor spent many years learning the fundamentals of nanotube interface structuring, a subject whose concepts and philosophies are thought to have indirectly inspired many of xir later innovations. Hamsor first entered the public eye in -2 PRE, when xe valiantly saved a band of popular experimental musicians, known as Birch Boat Magistrate, from one of a series of unexpected and dangerous anomalies caused by preliminary testing of some of the VLHC components. (At the time, it was not realized that these anomalies were caused by the VLHC equipment, or of course the experiment would never have been allowed to go forward.) The rescue incident would have gone relatively unnoticed were it not for the fact that Birch Boat Magistrate was quite famous and highly regarded at the time. Xir assosciation with them, along with the spectacular nature of the rescue, propelled xir to the forefront of public attention. This would no doubt have been a mere 15 minutes of fame were it not for the skillful way in which xe leapt upon xir fame and thoroughly exploited the opportunity it afforded xir. Combining uncanny genius with a striking natural charisma, xe immediately used xir position to promote awareness of the dangers caused by the anomaly, as well as several other agendas that xe saw as being meaningful. The public, who were at the time quite frightened of the frequent VLHC-related incidents and desperate for any kind of information or guidance on the subject, were immediately impressed and quickly promoted Hamsor from his status as a temporary talking point to a permanent household name. Hamsor quickly threw together a blog, on which xe issued frequent warnings and appraisals of anomalous activity, as well as advice for what to do in the presence of such activity. This blog quickly became extremely popular, growing to dominate a sizable portion of the blogosphere. At the time, the true source of the anomalies was not yet known, so not all of xir advice was accurate. However, xe did xir best to relay good information. Detractors, both contemporary and recent, have accused xir of using xir blog for its political influence, adding articles on subjects not related to the anomalies for the sake of promoting xir own interests. Though there is some truth to these accusations, the controversy xe generated only served to draw more attention to the blog - and after all, it was xir blog to post what xe pleased in. Post-Rift Years The Rift was seen by many as the defining moment in the blog's history. Suddenly, all of the observations and pieces of advice it contained were of paramount importance to the civilized planets. The blog attracted a massive spike in readership in the days immediately following the Rift, and reached ever higher levels of popularity in the years after. However, Hamsor xirself had begun to lose interest in xir blog and had already left it in the hands of the moderators that Hamsor had recruited over the years to help xir maintain it and generate content. Recruiting two of the former members of the newly-broken up Birch Boat Magistrate, Hamsor began to tour the local solar system. Xe spread information to those who had been left without an avenue of communication to the rest of Humanity and studied the Rift at every opportunity. Hamsor and xir entourage, which began to grow as xe attracted followers on the planets xe visited, became semi-legendary figures. They were forced to travel in a broken-down old Charybdis Z12 model spaceship, since Hamsor had left behind all of xir economic resources when xe began to travel. They affectionately named this craft the "Grand Ol' Space Buggy" and adorned with multitudes of tiny, colorful LEDs. Their friendly presence, and the news they brought, were generally welcome in all places. Hamsor made a point of promoting scientific investigation of the Rift in a society where superstition and fear were starting to take root as the dominant modes of thinking. Xe also made a point of establishing bases of research throughout the system, many of which later became influential centers of learning. This period of travel lasted for twelve years, which Hamsor was later to describe as the happiest of xir life. The Founding of the College Some of the key foundations of Rift theory were laid during Hamsor's travel days. Nevertheless, xe eventually decided that it was impossible to create a body of scientific knowledge without the necessary resources, and after culling from xir flock those followers who lacked the intellectual aptitude or knowledge-thirsty spirit that xe deemed necessary, xe settled on Ceres in the Sol asteroid belt and built what would become Hamsor College. Sadly, the Grand Ol' Space Buggy was stripped to provide building materials for the initial structure, though the intact hull remains within the College at present and is still lit on special occasions. The College at that time was a small organization, and funds were difficult to come by, though some of the followers who weren't directly a part of building the College nevertheless were willing to stay attached to it and mine the nearby asteroids for its benefit. Though the exact date of its founding is unknown, the College is traditionally dated to 18 PRE, the year in which Hamsor was officially elected Archendel of the College. The position was invented by Hamsor as a break from traditional academic structure. Its exact mix of duties originally included janitorial ones as well as administrative and academic. This was Hamsor's idea, and xe followed it rigorously, though in modern times the janitorial duties have become highly ritualized and involve little practical effort on the part of the Archendel. A stronger tradition, which carries to this day, is for the Archendel to spend time learning from each of the College's head professors, so that a breadth of knowledge is ensured. Even in those early days the College studied a wide range of subjects. It is best known for its research on the subject of the Rift, and many of its students went on to become leading experts in that field, but Hamsor had other interests, and promoted their study as well. Xe was a huge proponent of Human longevity, for instance, and xir personal research was vital in the establishments of many of the revivification and lifespan-enhancing procedures that we today take for granted. Sadly, Hamsor xirself succumbed to Rift sickness before all but the earliest of these procedures were implemented effectively, and lives now only in a state of Proxy Suspension. The College was renamed Hamsor College in xir honor shortly after xir passing. Other Issues Hamsor had many passions throughout xir life beyond the study of the Rift. Xe had a strong interest in immortality, and spent much of xir time away from the public eye attempting to attain it. The NeoAlchemic branch of the College was by no coincidence one of the most well-funded during Hamsor's reign as Archendel. Though xe did not survive long enough for modern immortality techniques to be established, xe lives on to this day in a state of Proxy Suspension, one of xir own discoveries. Another issue that was dear to xir heart was that of gender freedom. Though in our enlightened, modern age we take for granted the right to be any and all genders we might conceive of, in the time of Hamsor it was a very controversial issue. Xe was xirself non-gendered, and xir status as a respected public figure was inspirational to many others at the time who fell outside the normal spectrum of genders. Xe frequently put aside xir Rift education initiative to talk about these gender issues, much to the annoyance of xir audiences, who may or may not have been sypathetic to the cause but were generally more interested in hearing about the Rift. Finally, Hamsor was a great conniseur of snack crackers. Xe had an unusual habit of eating them at every meal, no matter what other food was served, and no matter how formal the occasion. Citations: Hamsor College, Birch Boat Magistrate Dfaran L'Eniarc 05:10, May 4, 2010 (UTC)